jfruh writes: "Computer animation and CGI special effects didn't really hit the cinematic mainstream until the 1990s; even the original Tron, contrary to popular belief, used mostly conventional animation techniques. That's why it's somewhat startling to see this bit of computer animation from 1963, even though it's just simple black-and-white line drawings. One of the most interesting things about it is that it wasn't developed by people trying to push the boundries of filmmaking; rather it was created by scientist Edward Zajac because he wanted to visually model how a satellite would orient itself in orbit."

The "genesis effect" where the dead planet comes alive in a shower of red sparks was the first use of CGI in and feature length motion picture, although Pixar and othere were producing CGI shorts before then.